Tips for That A+

Do not let the procrastination bug bite you. Here are some great tips to keep your nose in the book to get that A+ you deserve.

Social media tempting you to check what your crush is doing right now? Don’t worry about it. Apple has an app for that. If you are a Mac girl, there’s a free app called ‘Self-Control’ that allows you to block any website you want for an x amount of time. Once you block those websites, there’s no way in using them until the time runs out. If you are a PC girl, there’s a Google Chrome extension called ‘Stay Focused.’ All you have to do is download Google Chrome to your desktop, then download the extension for free. The extension is as easy as ‘Self-Control’ so you will not be tempted to Facebook stalk your friends.

Do you have a sweet tooth, but have a huge amount of pages to read for class or an exam? Use your sweet tooth to your advantage! Buy a bag of gummy worms (or anything gummy) and place one piece of the gummy candy in your mouth every two-three paragraphs. Every time you reach a gummy, you can eat it. It’s a delicious way to keep you motivated to read! By the way, don’t use anything that’s chocolate. That might dirty your book and leave a huge mess. Then you really won’t be able to read for class.

Every girl needs some color in her life. Use markers, gel pens and color pencils to add some personality to your boring black and white notes. Having colorful ink in your notes helps to keep your attention on your notes. You can use different colors to elaborate what is truly important, the most important concept and to add separation between sections. Just be careful that the ink does not run through the paper or you will end up ruining your notes.

Notecards are a girl’s best friend. If you have a billion and one terms to memorize, write them down on notecards. You can get colorful notecards to divide the terms into sections or just to keep your attention on the cards. If you can only get the regular notecards, use the markers from tip 3 to make those cards colorful and study-worthy. Don’t have time to go to the store? Get some paper, and cut them into squares!

Are you a music lover? Or cannot study in a quite place? Try listening to some classical or instrumental music while studying. Studies have shown that listening to classical music can help improve grades. Tip: Don’t try to listen to anything with lyrics especially if it’s your favorite band/songs. You’ll get distracted by the lyrics and will be tempted to sing along. So do not be listening to “One Direction.”

Play hide and seek with your phone. Hiding your phone (or asking someone in your house to hide your phone) is a great trick to getting you to study and keep you productive. Without your phone, you cannot text, check social media or play Angry Birds. You will be forced to study that boring subject, read the chapters you “forgot” to read and get the A you wanted.

Be comfortable! I know many of you are stylish fashionistas, but you should study in something comfy. You’re going to be sitting down with your nose in your book so not many people are going to notice that you’re wearing American Eagle sweatpants and your school’s spirit shirt. Your main priority should be your notes and that high G.P.A.

Chill out once in a while. Do not study in huge chunks. Studying for 45 minutes and then taking a small 15-minute break is more helpful than studying for two hours straight — give your brain a break! You can do a set of math problems, read a chapter or work on that essay. After the 45 minutes are up, you can always creep on your crush over Facebook, text your friend or catch up on your favorite band via Twitter. In addition, have a bigger goal in mind. After you reach your goal, treat yourself. Did you finally finish reading the three chapters from your biology book? Catch up on Gossip Girl or read that book you’ve been dying to get into.

Grades should always come first. Doing well now will open doors for you in the future. Stay motivated. Stay positive. You can do well on those final exams and ace that class. After you ace your class, you can always celebrate the holidays by relaxing during your vacation.